


Robron Week 2017

by BoleynC



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Family, robron - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:11:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9982304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoleynC/pseuds/BoleynC
Summary: Just some short pieces to contribute to Robron week.





	1. Family (What family means to Robert and Aaron)

**Author's Note:**

> TW: brief references to self harm.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I changed the brief slightly. I know it's meant to be Family Time, but I ended up writing this so here we are. 
> 
> This is just a prose sort of piece. It's not exactly a fic but I will definitely be trying different styles during this week so I look forward to that! Please let me know if you like it! It's my first Robron piece.
> 
> (I will be writing some more family stuff in future btw, so I'll probably put up something more suited to today's brief next week.) 
> 
> xxx

**FAMILY**

 

Family, for Robert, is blame. It’s being the black sheep, the middle child, the usurped heir. It’s faces turning in his direction when the alarm bells go off. It’s the well-practiced answering expression of offended disbelief even when he knows he’s the culprit. It’s being expected to stoop and then sinking lower, always bobbing up at the last second, like butter wouldn’t melt, unscathed. 

Family is Andy, straight-forward, dependable. His mirror. His opposite. A brother beyond blood. The unfinished business and the constant, undying loyalty. 

Family is Victoria, wide-eyed, earnest, optimistic, somehow kinder, better than a child of their family ought to be. The miracle that came along to make up for him. The universe’s apology. 

Family is Diane, ever-present, unchanging, constant. It’s a knowing look and a tut, but a refusal to see him as anything other than Jack’s boy, even at his worst. 

Family is Aaron now, too. Aaron is home. Aaron is safety from his own over-reaching ambition. Aaron is the setting to which he can align his moral compass. Aaron is responsibility. Aaron is being held to a promise, being caught in a lie. Aaron is the narrowed eyes and disappointment which draws him back from the brink and makes him better. Aaron is the truth about his father and the proof that he was wrong, flawed, even though it shatters the sacred memory everyone holds. 

Aaron is a sarnie plonked lovingly on the table as he works at his laptop, with ‘none of them fancy crisps’ or useless garnish. Aaron is the toothpaste lying scrunched up on the side of the sink, lid nowhere to be found. He’s slurping milk from his cereal bowl like a neanderthal and biting his nails until Robert wants to scream. Aaron is the smell of comfort, comfort being tacky shower gel, car oil, and hope. 

Family is Liv, too. The unwelcome addition that Robert inexplicably finds himself worrying about at night. Liv is the twist of Aaron’s lip and the ‘don’t you dare pity me’ expression. She’s heavy boots stomping down the stairs and a sneaked bottle of vodka stashed in her schoolbag. Liv is Aaron’s sister in every way and Robert wants to save her. Family is hearing Jack Sugden’s voice coming out of his mouth when he scolds her for skiving school, and seeing Aaron’s scowl on her face as she slopes off to sulk. 

Family means that nothing’s bad enough to mean you can’t go back. Family means striving to be better. Family is an anchor and a chain, that nowadays Robert isn’t trying to saw off. It’s going under tied to another. It’s staring the truth in the face and holding its gaze, unafraid. 

***

Family, for Aaron, was uncertainty. It was hesitancy. It was wanting to trust but being afraid of the fall. It was being unwanted, being loved under terms and conditions that were always too small to read. It was the rug being pulled out from under him and not knowing how he ended up bruised on the ground. Family was secrecy, fear, and shame. 

That was then. Now, family is loud. It’s brash, bold, a slap in the face, a kiss on the cheek. It’s a manky welly boot full of ale, a favour someone wants to cash in, a seat at a rickety table where a brew’s always waiting. It’s a dodgy deal and the coppers sniffing about while everyone plays dumb.  It’s a reputation that stretches for miles, for counties. It’s a brand new name. It’s acceptance. 

Family is Chas, unrecognisable. New. Ready to drop everything to dry his tears. Always putting a meal in front of him. Prepared to tell him a hard truth. Chas is nagging and hen-pecking and everything Aaron dreamed of. She’s the simple delight of squirming away from her babying, and the loving glare that goes with it. She’s an immortal day on the beach and a grating cackle of laugher. She’s ice cream in the freezing cold, the rush and lights of the penny falls, and that ridiculous Bonnie Tyler song.

Family is Liv, himself in miniature, from another universe. A jewel. A terror. A hurricane of a kid with no fear and a neat right hook. Liv is righting other people’s wrongs, proof that he’s different. Liv is a way of stepping into the past and extending a hand to himself, saying, _come on, kid, it’s okay, I’ve got ya_. Liv is never knowing what to expect. Liv is pink cheeks and flyaway hair and an attitude problem. She’s a never-ending series of catastrophes that Aaron secretly loves sorting.

Family is Robert. The one person who never left, never gave up, never forgot him. Robert is stability, he’s the kick in his sleep to remind him he’s not alone. He’s stability and common sense. He’s pointless elbow pads, and posh muesli, and a smirk that shouldn’t be allowed. Robert is charisma, charm, and secret gentleness. He’s the proof that change can happen that Aaron needs to forgive himself. Robert is (mostly) reformed, devoted, domestic. He’s checking for fresh cuts when he thinks Aaron’s not looking, watching disapprovingly whenever he goes for a run that lasts too long and leaves him retching. Robert is care. He’s a reason not to get swallowed up by darkness again. He’s a desperate, possessive kiss and a careful touch of foreheads. A long limb splayed over him in bed, and the answer to the question: _who nicked all the covers in the night?_

Robert is the future. He’s growing old together and arguing over toothpaste and laundry and what to do about Liv. He’s hope.

Family means starting again. It means the past can’t hurt him. Family is second chances and making the best of it. Family is messy and domestic and full of mundane (and not so mundane) struggles. It’s proof that no matter what life throws at him, he can take it. Family is security. Family is a ring on his finger and a call from a disapproving schoolteacher. Family is Aaron’s way of fighting back. Family is a middle finger raised to the man who tried to send him to hell and now resides there.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to say hi on twitter I'm @ClaudiaBoleyn
> 
> xxx


	2. Marriage (The first night as a married couple)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this one is set after the end of the second wedding episode. It's more of a 'proper fic' with dialogue and all that jazz. I hope you enjoy it and please do comment!

_**MARRIAGE** _

 

Chas had spotted the boys outside, Aaron huddled in Robert’s arms. It was beautiful and it was sad. Strangely, Chas found herself wanting to smile, albeit in a rather bittersweet way. Seeing her son so distraught was painful, but to know there was another pair of arms he could run to and find a home in was a relief. The fact that those lanky arms belonged to Robert flamin’ Sugden was just another one of life’s little piss-takes. By now she was fond of him, god help her, but she still couldn’t quite believe the turn they’d all taken. 

It would have been best to leave them there, Chas knew, but it was cold out and the last guests were leaving. Adam was cheerfully drunk and waiting at the bar to see his best mate and wish him luck for his wedding night, Victoria by his side, wanting to see her big brother finally happy before she went home.

“You two coming in then?” Chas called out, voice echoing in the quiet. “Think Adam and Vic are about to head off.”

Aaron wiped his eyes and sat up, Robert giving him a last pat on the back for support. 

“Just coming,” Robert answered for him, turning on his bench to give Chas a smile. Chas returned it and went back inside. 

Aaron gave a sniff and got to his feet, Robert doing the same beside him. 

“Do I look like I’ve been crying?” he asked worriedly. 

“A bit,” Robert admitted. “But you could pass for hungover. C’mon. It’s only Adam and Vic. They’re not gonna care, are they?” 

The newlyweds came back inside to find a mostly empty pub. Charity was leaning unhelpfully against the bar and enjoying a drink while Chas went about clearing up empty glasses. Adam and Vic were standing together having a cuddle. 

“All right, lovebirds?” Adam greeted the pair, beaming. “Didn’t think we were gonna sneak off without saying goodbye, did ya?” 

“I did tell him you might be having some time alone,” Vic explained. 

“They’ve got all night for that! C’mere Aaron, lad! Give your best mate a hug!” 

Before Aaron could even grin, Adam had thrown himself at him and was hugging him tight and slapping his back in a very manly fashion. 

“We’re both married now, bro!” Adam declared happily. “Who’d’ve thought it?” 

“Yeah, well, not me,” Aaron admitted, as the embrace ended (but Adam continued slapping him companionably on the back). 

“I think it’s lovely,” Victoria said, smiling at her ridiculous husband and then turning to her big brother, who was mirroring her own expression as he gazed at his own husband. “You two were made for each other. My big brother, finally settling down with the _right one._ ”

“I’ll drink to that,” Robert agreed with a smile. 

“Er, no you won’t,” Chas said sternly, coming over with glasses in her hands. “I think you’ve all had enough.” 

“Aw, c’mon Chas, it’s a wedding!” Adam wheedled. 

“It might be a wedding,” Vic said sternly. “But I’m not gonna carry you home.” 

“No, Chas’s right,” Robert said, nodding respectfully in her direction. “We should be making a move too.” 

“Er, you live here?” Charity pointed out from behind them. 

“Er, and you work here,” Chas retorted, mimicking her cousin’s tone. “Not that you’d know it, you lazy mare.” 

“Oi, I’m celebrating Aaron’s big day! Excuse me for being happy for him.” 

“Aaron’ll want to be well rested for tomorrow, won’t you?” Vic said sensibly, taking Adam by the arm. 

“Yeah,” Aaron agreed, trying not to start crying again at the thought of it. “Best call it a night.” 

“Well,” Adam declared drunkenly. “I’m proper happy for you guys. Never used to think it could work.  Specially not with Rob being such a-“ 

Victoria elbowed him in the ribs. 

“But,” Adam continued. “You’ve proved me wrong. You’re an all right bloke, Rob, mate. Cracking husband for him too. Makes us all related, dunnit? Mental, that.” 

“Come on, you,” Victoria sighed, leading her husband away. “Have a good one, you two. I’m really happy for you. And we’ll be here tomorrow morning.” 

“Thanks, Vic,” Robert said, smiling. 

“Yeah. Thanks,” Aaron managed to mumble, his stomach twisting at the thought of their next meeting. 

Chas and Charity joined Aaron and Robert to watch Adam and Victoria go. 

“He’s gonna be suffering tomorrow morning,” Charity commented, downing the dregs of someone’s discarded drink. “Hangover from hell. Sign of a good wedding, that, though.” 

Robert saw Aaron’s flinch at all this talk of tomorrow, and decided it was time to step in and rescue him. 

“Is it okay if we go up, then?” Robert asked Chas. “I can help you with this lot tomorrow if you like.”

“This is your wedding!” Chas exclaimed, waving the idea away. “Go on. Both of you. Liv’s dead to the world on the sofa down here so you two enjoy yourselves.” 

Under usual circumstances Aaron would have cringed at that, but his eyes were on the ground. Robert put an arm around his shoulders. 

“Thanks. For all this," said Robert, hoping Chas would understand how very much he meant that. 

“Don’t mention it, son-in-law. Go on. Shoo.” 

+++

Once upstairs, the bedroom door safely closed on the bustle of the pub, they got undressed in comfortable silence. Aaron seemed to be taking a lot of time to hang his suit up properly, something which usually wouldn’t have bothered him at all. It seemed, to Robert, like he was looking for ways to distract himself. As though if he had instructions to follow, one after the other, he’d be all right. 

Robert got into bed first, smoothing the covers and patting the space next to him. Aaron, who still seemed to be partially elsewhere, climbed in beside him. Robert shifted a bit to make them more comfortable, Aaron settling with his head on Robert’s shoulder, forehead tucked against his neck, Robert’s arm protectively around Aaron’s waist. 

For a while they lay in silence, just thinking. Robert occasionally pressed a kiss or two to Aaron’s hair, Aaron responding with the slightest shift to attempt to get closer. It would have been wonderful if the black cloud of tomorrow wasn’t looming over them. 

“So, you and me. Married,” Robert said, eventually, smiling as he said the words. 

He heard and felt Aaron’s little sarcastic huff. 

“Are we? I hadn’t noticed.” 

Robert used the hand around Aaron’s waist to tickle him slightly. Aaron squirmed, laughing, until Robert took pity on him and stopped. 

“You’re stuck with me now,” Robert declared contently. “For better or worse. Richer for poorer. Sickness and health.” 

“Yeah, I do know how the vows go,” Aaron responded, rolling his eyes.  

“Till death do us part,” Robert continued, giving Aaron a cheerful and rather drunken nudge. “Bit morbid, that bit.” 

“I guess murdering you’s my only escape now,” Aaron teased, a genuine smile appearing on his face. As soon as he saw it, Robert felt his confidence grow. He knew there was a way of keeping Aaron from any dangerous thoughts. He knew that he, Robert Jacob Sugden, was possibly the only human alive to know how to expertly steer Aaron from a dark mood without him even realising he was trying. 

“There is _no_ escape,” Robert declared, sounding delighted by the prospect. “We’re in this together now, mate. Eternally bound in the eyes of god.” 

“In the eyes of some bashed up car, more like,” Aaron retorted. “And did you really just call me ‘mate’ on our wedding night?” 

“Look who’s getting soppy now!” 

“Shut up!” Aaron said, flicking Robert on the chest. He moved himself so he was leaning on Robert, arms crossed, chin resting irresistibly on them as he looked up at his husband. 

“So are we gonna make the most of my last night or what?” he asked, raising a provocative eyebrow.

“Someone’s eager,” Robert laughed. 

“Well I have been in a room full of my whole family all day. My _drunk_ family, which is even worse. Every time we got close there were cameras going off.” 

“Because they love yer.” 

“Yeah, but still. You wait. They’ll be showing them off to everyone. I’ll have my eyes shut in most of them probably. I look a right idiot in photos.”

“What about me? Cain’s gonna torment me with photos of me and that manky welly. I’m never gonna live it down.” 

Aaron grinned. For once, the idea of Cain tormenting Robert was bringing him joy. It was domestic. Safe. How family was supposed to be, full of banter and embarrassing each other. 

“Well, you’re a Dingle now,” Aaron said. “Signed and sealed. Well, downed and…” 

“Downed from a welly and looking like an idiot?” Robert suggested.

“Yeah, pretty much.” 

“They’ll be asking for favours tomorrow, just you wait,” Robert said, shaking his head. “Now I’m one of the clan. Zak was saying something about a possible ‘business venture’ at the bar earlier while Lisa was in the bogs.” 

“Oh my god,” Aaron sighed, rolling his eyes. “I leave them with you for one second-“ 

“Relax, I’m not going near it.” 

“You’d better not,” Aaron said, nodding. “Can’t have you going inside too.” 

With the subject broached, Robert wasn’t sure what to do for the best. Prison. Tomorrow. His husband behind bars. How was he supposed to deal with that? Aaron was the one who’d brought it up, so Robert assumed it was safe to treat it lightly, to make it a bit of a joke to ease the tension.

“They could sort us out a honeymoon suite?” Robert suggested, trying to gauge Aaron’s reaction. “Rose petals on the bed? Champagne served by charismatic bald guard number six?” 

Aaron frowned, not sure how he felt about the joke himself. But it was easier than slipping back into despair. It was better than having to talk about it properly. 

“Er, can’t have roses in prison,” Aaron pointed out. “In case someone wants to use one as a lethal weapon.” 

“Give over, I bet you can have roses in prison. What’s someone gonna do with it? Jab you with the thorns?” 

“I’m telling ya, the rules are weird in there. You can have birds in your cell in some places, apparently. The animals, not, like, wives and girlfriends or whatever.” 

“Er!” Robert declared, screwing up his features. “What about when they poo everywhere?” 

“You keep them in a cage, idiot,” Aaron said, giving Robert a nudge. 

“Still, that’s just plain weird.” 

They lapsed into companionable silence, both smiling. 

“Robert?” Aaron said quietly, a minute or so later. 

“Yeah?” 

“I don’t wanna, you know, talk about it all properly. Not right now...” 

“We can if you want,” Robert said, sitting up slightly. 

“No. I don’t want that. I just…you are prepared, aren't ya?” 

“Aaron-“ 

“Please. Look, I just need to know you’re ready for it. I know you want to stay positive, but if it goes to shit tomorrow then you have to be ready.” 

Robert sighed but nodded his head, acknowledging the good sense of that. 

“And I will be,” he assured his husband. “But it won’t go to shit.” 

“Robert-“ 

“It’ll be a few months. It has to be. I’ve looked it up, Aaron. It wouldn’t make sense to send you in for any longer than four. Five if they want to really push it, but with good behaviour you could be out way before then. And that’s if you get a bad judge.” 

“I’m a Dingle, Robert.” 

“Erm, a Sugden, actually.” 

“Dream on, Mr Dingle. But I’m serious. They’ll hit me with everything they’ve got once they know who I am. And with my record…” 

“There you go, thinking the worst-“ Robert found himself saying, before he could stop himself. 

Aaron looked wounded for a second, and then frowned. 

“Because I have to! Look, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not you. You might be made of teflon but shit sticks to me, okay? Always has done. We can’t all live in a fantasy world, Robert, because for some of us life doesn’t work like that. For some of us… we’re used to things being shit.” 

Aaron looked away from Robert, but didn’t move to the other side of the bed. Robert knew Aaron better than to take this personally. Aaron was pushing, as he always did, because he wanted to be assured that the pushing wouldn’t make him leave. It was textbook Aaron behaviour, and Robert was an expert at reading him by now. 

“I know you’re scared, okay?” Robert said quietly, refusing to rise to the bait and argue. “I get that.” 

Aaron looked up at him, blue eyes wide. 

“But maybe things might actually go well for once? Things have got to change at some point. You’ve had a rough time of it-” 

Aaron scoffed. 

“Well, you have,” Robert insisted. “But it won’t last forever.” 

Aaron still didn’t respond, so Robert gave him a playful nudge. 

“Hey, you’ve got to have some good luck. You’ve just married me, haven’t yer?” 

Instead of smiling back, Aaron chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. 

“Liv-“ he said. 

“Liv will be fine,” Robert cut in easily. “I can deal with her. I’ll look after her like she was Vic. I can do the big brother thing. And I think we’ve really got somewhere, me and her.” 

“Thank you,” Aaron said quietly.  

“She’s family,” Robert shrugged. “Your family is my family now. And mine is yours. That’s part of what this whole marriage thing is about.”

Aaron sniffed and didn’t respond. He looked on the brink of tears again. 

“Even if they give you a bad sentence,” Robert said in his gentle voice. “One day we’ll look back at this and it’ll seem like nothing. In the grand scheme of things, what’s a few months? We’ve got our whole lives. Years. When we’re a pair of senile old blokes sitting in front of the fire we’ll have a laugh about all this.” 

“I’ll make it up to you,” Aaron said earnestly.

“No need.” 

Aaron swallowed, taking that in. Instead of trying to push Robert away again, he rested his head once again against his husband’s shoulder. From downstairs, the sound of Charity and Chas rowing was just about audible. 

“We’ll do the whole honeymoon thing properly,” Robert promised, stroking Aaron’s side with his thumb. “In Vegas, or Ibiza. Wherever you want.” 

“Don’t care where we are,” Aaron said honestly. “Just so long as it’s just us.”

“Aw, you old romantic,” Robert teased him. “So…” 

“So?” 

“Well this _is_ our wedding night,” Robert pointed out, more brightly. “Isn’t there something we should be doing?” 

“Liv’s not up here, is she?” Aaron asked. 

“Chas said she was dead to the world downstairs, remember? And anyway, she’s not gonna hear us with those two having a slanging match, is she?” 

Aaron grinned, the happiness meeting his eyes.

“Love ya,” he said, surprising Robert with a quick kiss on the lips. 

“Should hope so too, seeing as we’re married,” Robert quipped back. He leaned up for a deeper, longer kiss, resting his forehead against Aaron’s when they parted for breath. 

“Love you too,” Robert said quietly. “ _Husband_.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hi on twitter if you like! I'm @ClaudiaBoleyn xxx


	3. You're The Boss (What happens after their first time in the pub)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've chosen to write a missing scene that happens immediately after Robert and Aaron's first (well technically second) time at the pub in Aaron's bedroom. I thought it would be full of awkwardness and interesting dynamics so yeah, that's why I picked it! Hope you enjoy and please please comment if you do!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case anyone needs their memory jogged in terms of the littler details (I'm not saying you will!), Aaron has just battered up Robert's car because Robert made fun of him after he heard him and Finn rowing in the toilets. (Robert is jealous as hell). This comes right after the scene where Robert goes in the back of the pub to confront him and they get all macho and start pushing each other about in the hall (the tension, tho). My scene begins a few minutes after they've been at it in Aaron's room. Enjoy!

**YOU'RE THE BOSS**

 

“So, er, you staying then?” Aaron asked casually, not really sure how he was supposed to play this. It wasn’t like they’d done any talking for the past twenty minutes, and to be honest that had gone in an angry, mind-blowing, actually-pretty-flamin’-impressive-for-a-second-time blur. 

“No,” Robert answered, rolling his eyes. 

“I wasn’t inviting ya,” Aaron clarified. “I was giving you the hint.” 

Robert raised an eyebrow at Aaron. Aaron noticed he actually had the cheek to look offended by that. 

“You’re booting me out?” he asked, face still half smushed against the pillow, his blonde hair a mess around his face. Robert was taking up most of the bed all by himself with his long limbs, one massive foot sticking carelessly out from under the covers like he owned the place and Aaron was the one who’d only come over for a heated quickie. It was impossible not to admire that trait in Robert, Aaron thought, as he tried to tear his eyes away from the freckles across his shoulders and back. He was one of those guys that gave off the effortlessly arrogant vibe of being able to make himself completely at ease in any situation. Aaron wished he could do that. 

“Well, Diane wants the telly downstairs in about ten minutes or so, so unless you want her asking questions…” 

Robert heaved himself from the bed, still feeling rather weak and boneless, and reached for his jumper. He could have done with staying where he was for a few more minutes, but he wasn’t going to give Aaron the satisfaction of asking for more time. It wasn’t like he wanted to be there anyway. It was just a way to let off steam. This wasn’t… _anything_. It wasn’t even sex. Not really. It was messing around. Because he was straight. One hundred percent. 

“About the car-“ Aaron tried, scratching awkwardly at his neck. 

“I should report yer,” Robert said as he pulled on his jeans with a bit of a shimmy. He only realised he’d done it when he caught Aaron staring. That was too domestic. That was for home, with Chrissie. In a far more considered way, he did up his belt, face impassive as he could make it. “Criminal damage, that is.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m not sorry,” Aaron said, shrugging. He was sitting up in bed with his t-shirt on, covers draped over his waist. He hadn’t taken that shirt off the whole time they’d been at it. Robert had gone to pull it over his head a couple of times, not realising that Aaron had some weird thing about it until he’d pushed his hands away sharply and then swiftly distracted him before Robert could ask any questions. Robert was going to find out why that was if it killed him. 

“Trust me, you will be,” Robert retorted, but they both knew the threat was empty. 

Aaron reached out of the bed for his boxers and turned his back as he stood up and put them on. That was almost hilarious, Robert thought, considering what they’d been up to just minutes earlier. Him going all coy in the afterglow was beyond pointless. 

Was Aaron… shy? That was an odd one. He always came across so tough and aggressive, like he’d punch you in the face if you looked at him the wrong way. But here he was covering himself up and lingering by the bed like he didn’t know what to do. 

It made Robert feel a little better about all this, (not that he’d admit it). He’d never slept with a guy in their own bed before. He’d never slept with the same guy twice, either. Robert had no idea how they were supposed to navigate this, how this kind of thing worked. This was new territory and it made him uneasy. It also gave him a perverse thrill. 

“You leaving the car here?” Aaron asked. 

“I’m gonna have to, aren’t I? I’m not having Chrissie asking questions about it.” 

“Right,” Aaron said, nodding. “You got everything?” 

Robert shot him a withering look. 

“I’m not usually in the habit of taking blokes back here while there are people about, all right?” Aaron explained, trying not to look embarrassed. “I don’t want you leaving a sock or summat and my mum asking questions.” 

“Still cleans your room, does she?” Robert taunted him. 

Aaron narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t going to be belittled. Not by Robert Sugden of all people. 

“Sorry, how was it you got your cash again?” he fired back. “Cause last I checked it was through your wife.” 

“I worked for that,” Robert insisted, sounding for a moment like Aaron had touched a nerve. 

Aaron scoffed. He didn’t disbelieve Robert, but it was easier to pretend that he did. 

“Is Diane down there now?” Robert asked sulkily. 

“I guess so,” Aaron answered, pulling on his jeans and reaching for his favourite purple hoodie.

“Well are you gonna go and check?” 

Aaron made a face. 

“Don’t see how that’s my problem, mate.” 

Robert sighed in a put-upon manner which would have better befitted a frustrated spouse during a domestic row. 

“Go down there and make sure the coast is clear,” Robert commanded him. 

“What are ya? James Bond?” 

Robert decided not to answer that. Instead he stared at Aaron pointedly until the younger man gave a shrug and decided to do as he was told in a very ‘anything for an easy life’ style. 

Aaron checked the landing and then went down the stairs quietly, Robert a bit behind him in case he needed to retreat to Aaron’s bedroom again. For a moment, Aaron disappeared at the bottom of the stairs and Robert worried he’d been stitched up, that Aaron had gone back out to the pub to leave him to stew. But then Aaron’s face reappeared with a nod. 

“Not in?” Robert asked quietly, as he padded down the stairs. 

“Yeah, she’s right next door,” Aaron responded sarcastically. “And so’s Vic, and my mum, and Chrissie.” 

“This isn’t over,” Robert hissed menacingly, as he reached for the handle on the back door. He wasn’t quite sure what had made him say it, or even what it meant, only that it had burst from his mouth almost compulsively. 

Aaron looked him up and down like he didn’t care one jot about that declaration. He was wearing that insolent, utterly dismissive expression that made Robert want to throttle him. Or do other things. 

“See ya,” Aaron said, with over-exaggerated friendliness. “Don’t let the door catch ya on your way out.” 

Before Robert had the chance to respond Aaron had pushed him out the door and slammed it behind him. 

Robert was left standing in the cold, holding his leather jacket, and wondering just when, during their exchange, Aaron had managed to win back the power from him, and why he hadn’t seen it coming. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hi on twitter if you like! I'm @ClaudiaBoleyn. I'm always looking for other Emmerdale fans to follow. 
> 
> xxx


	4. Different Worlds (They died in SSW AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My AU is Robron dying in SSW. I am a terrible person. I realise this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says on the tin. The boys die. So main character death warning!

“Babe, they’ve just said that a rally looking car with yellow decals has crashed through there.” 

“What?” Adam breathed out, already starting to sprint towards the hard shoulder, to where the greenery had been flattened by tyres. He could hear Victoria panting behind him, rushing to keep up as he fought through the remaining branches and trees, following the path of destruction, ending up at a broken wooden barrier which had a worryingly car sized gap in it. 

Racing to the edge of the barrier, Adam looked down to the lake below with dawning horror. That was a decent drop. If you were to jump it you’d never make the landing. There was too much smoke from the pile up to tell if there was a car in the lake from here, but Adam was going to find out. 

“No, no, no,” Adam muttered to himself, refusing to give up hope. The was a way down to the lake if he followed the barrier. Just so long as he stayed away from the edge he’d be okay. Adam began to run again, almost losing his footing on the mud as he skidded down the hill, grabbing for clumps of weeds to steady himself as he finally made it. He could hear Victoria hot on his heels but there was no time to wait for her. By the time she’d caught up with him he’d already thrown off his jacket, taken a deep breath, and made a running jump into the freezing lake. 

Victoria just caught the sight of her husband’s legs disappearing into the darkness. She was out of breath from the run and from the shock of it all.

“Oh please, please, please,” she begged, standing alone in the mist, trembling with fear. 

+++

The lake was a shock to Adam’s system. He hadn’t taken a deep enough breath before his run up, and now he was finding it hard to get his bearings. Just opening his eyes under there was tough. The water was mucky and brown, full of stuff floating about, maybe debris from the car, maybe mud, that made him want to close his eyes again and swim back up to the surface. 

He wouldn’t do that, though. He couldn’t. Grimacing with determination he forced himself towards two lights, dim in the lake water, but all Adam had to guide him. 

The car was closer than he’d thought, the light (from what Adam now understood to be headlights) casting a green glow on its immediate surroundings. There were two figures inside it. 

The shock of seeing them both, Aaron and Robert, just sitting in there peacefully, like they were asleep, made Adam splutter, almost taking in a lungful of water himself. He floundered towards the surface for breath, feeling like an idiot. 

He only stayed up there for a few seconds, not even pausing to see Victoria, standing on the bank with her hands in prayer position, eyes wide and terrified. When he was certain he'd had a big enough breath he forced himself back under for a second time. 

There was no messing about getting his bearings this time. He moved instinctively to where he knew the car was, finding himself in the light of those eerily fading headlights in seconds. There were Aaron and Robert, just like before. They didn’t look like they’d moved. Maybe they were out cold? Maybe trying to conserve oxygen? 

Adam wasn’t willing to entertain the possibility that it was anything worse. 

The choice to go to Aaron first was easy, instinctual. Robert might have been Vic’s brother, but Aaron was his. Maybe not by blood, but in every other sense.

He hammered on the window against which Aaron’s head was slumped, but he got no response. Aaron’s eyes were closed and there was blood streaming from a cut on his nose. It took Adam a moment to register that the water level was up past Aaron’s head. 

Panicking, Adam yanked at the car door, which thankfully came open on the second go. He caught a brief glimpse of Robert, who seemed to be lolling, now, in Aaron’s direction, and then reached for Aaron’s jacket, hoping to pull him from the wreck. Aaron’s arms obeyed, light and limp like those of a rag doll, but Adam couldn’t seem to manoeuvre him out of his seat. Did he still have his belt on? Adam reached out to try and feel for the metal of the belt. It wasn’t what was keeping Aaron in the car. 

Very aware that he was running out of oxygen, and fast, Adam tried pulling at Aaron’s legs from a different angle. That was a mistake. Blood floated up towards him, ominously. Aaron’s legs were trapped beneath the steering column of the car, the metal holding him in place like a vice. There was no way of getting him free of that wreck without cutting him out.

Fighting back his horror, Adam used his last few breaths to swim around to Robert’s side of the car. The door on his side came open easily, like fate was on his side. As he put his arms around Robert and pulled, the lanky man drifted up, bobbing towards the car roof with no problem at all. Adam had to push his head and shoulders down like a float to get him out of the door, which meant there was still some air in his lungs. With an apologetic glance at Aaron, Adam grabbed his brother-in-law and kicked towards the surface, praying he had enough air to last him that long.

+++

“Help, please! Just help!” Victoria screamed, hoping that someone, anyone would come. Adam had been gone too long, surely? 

There were a few moments of eerie, terrible silence, and then with a loud gasp Adam reappeared with someone in his arms.

Adam pushed through the water, trying to return to the bank, weighed down by the man half slung over his back. It took a few seconds for Victoria to make out who it was. 

“Robert!” she shouted, feeling sick with relief. “Are you okay?! Robert! Are you all right?!” 

Nobody answered her. Adam was panting heavily, trying to find the strength to drag him to the bank. Victoria went out as far as she could and helped to pull her brother out of the lake. To her horror, he didn’t seem to be swimming for himself. Adam managed to haul him down into the mud, but Robert didn’t react, he just lay there, splayed out like a corpse, eyes closed. 

“What’s wrong with him?!” Victoria exclaimed, getting to her knees beside her brother and slapping his face. 

“Staying alive!” Adam declared, taking deep breaths and already getting back to his feet. 

“What?!” 

“On his chest! Staying alive rhythm! Like the adverts! I’ve got to go back!” 

Victoria was afraid. She didn’t want Adam to leave her. But Adam had spotted the paramedic, finally, running down the bank towards his wife and there was no time to lose. Robert was in safe hands now. He had to go back for Aaron. 

+++

This time Adam was faster than his previous two attempts. Instead of going right for Aaron, he moved for the boot. He needed tools, something to get the weight of the car off Aaron’s legs. Something to cut him out with if he had to. 

The boot was empty but for a long snake of rope which floated up and out of the boot. Adam gave it a kick under the water and moved back to Robert’s side of the car. The front on Aaron’s side might have been wrecked, but Robert’s seemed to be intact. Adam fumbled for the glove compartment hoping for a spanner, for a wrench, for _anything_ that he could use to lever the steering column, but all he found was a fancy box which floated out and away somewhere, and a bag of sweets. 

Aaron continued to hang horribly out of the car now the door on his side was open, his body wanting to float out and follow Robert, his legs keeping him trapped inside, even as Adam pushed at the steering column with all his strength. 

Already getting dizzy, Adam shouted out with frustration under the water, and then headed back to the surface.

+++

This time the paramedics were with Victoria, and Robert was no longer sprawled out on the bank. It looked like he was on a stretcher. He didn’t look good at all. 

“There’s someone still down there!” Adam shouted breathlessly as he swam towards the bank. “Stuck in the car!” 

He all but collapsed into the mud, crawling on his hands and knees as he fought for breath. His chest was burning. 

“Mate’s in there!” he panted at the paramedics. “Legs stuck under summat. Please go get him! He needs someone to cut him out!” 

“Don’t worry, the diver team are on their way,” one of the paramedics told him, as she and Victoria pulled him to his feet. 

“Nah mate, he needs them now!” Adam raged, trying to pull away from them but finding he was too weak.

“How long has he been under there?” one of the paramedics, the woman, asked. 

“I don’t know!” Victoria answered shrilly. “Minutes? Whenever the crash happened. Please, please you have to get Aaron out of there! Please! Please get him out!” 

“The diver team are on their way,” the woman said with terrible forced calm. "We're doing all we can."

“We need to get the casualty to the hospital right now," called the male paramedic, who was in the back of the ambulance with Robert.

“I’ll come!” Victoria said instantly, turning away from the lake and racing towards the ambulance. “He’s my brother!” 

“The divers’ll be too late,” Adam said. 

But nobody seemed to want to hear him.

The worst part was that Victoria had given up, abandoned him, abandoned _Aaron_ , and rushed back to Robert even though he was out of the lake now. Adam could hear her hysterical pleas to God, to the paramedics, to anyone, to please help her brother. He could hear the male paramedic trying to calm her down. 

“I’m going back,” Adam declared.  

“You can’t go in there, sir!” the woman explained, grabbing Adam by the arm to stop him. “It’s too dangerous! We need to check you for-” 

“Get off!” he spat, pulling away. “I just need a hammer or summat to break the steering column. If I can just find a way to-“ 

“Please, wait for the diver team, sir!” 

“Adam!” Victoria shouted, from the back of the ambulance, her voice high-pitched with distress. “Adam we have to go! _Now!_ ” 

“I’m not leaving him!” Adam yelled back, unable to believe what he was hearing. 

“Why’re you wiring him up to that? Why’s he stopped?” Adam heard Victoria ask the male paramedic hysterically. “He was breathing just now. I swear! I woke him up! Please! Please! Robert, please wake up! Please be all right!” 

Adam stood on the bank, overwhelmed, head in his hands. He heard the engine of the ambulance start. The sirens began to scream.

“You go with her,” the woman said quickly. “We’ll wait. You can’t do anything here. They'll have specialist equipment. If they can save him, they will.” 

“I’m sorry, mate,” Adam breathed out, closing his eyes and trying not to think about how Aaron had looked in that car, how he couldn’t breathe, how he was bleeding.

Nodding, like a man in a nightmare, Adam staggered into the back of the ambulance where Victoria was sitting beside her brother, crying and holding the side of his stretcher for comfort. They closed the back doors immediately and set off.

Robert had an oxygen mask on his face and was wrapped in what looked like foil. He was strapped tight to the stretcher, eyes closed, face terribly pale. 

“Robert… you’re gonna be all right,” Victoria promised her brother as the ambulance tore towards Hotten General Hospital. “Please… please promise me you’re gonna be all right. I _need_ you. _Please._ I can’t lose you like this. Please… wake up…” 

All Adam could think about was Aaron. He wondered if the divers had reached him yet. Was he now on a similar stretcher back at the bank? Or were they still trying to cut him out of the car wreck? 

Head in his hands and trying to blot out the noise of Victoria’s begging, he reached for his phone and rang Chas. 

+++

“Please just tell me he’s gonna be all right!” Victoria begged as Robert was wheeled out the back of the ambulance and straight into Accident and Emergency. A team of nurses and a doctor amassed around his trolley looking harassed. Plenty of the casualties from the Hotten Bypass crash had already arrived by the look of things. It was a mess, understaffed, people wandering left right and centre, some with bandages on, others looking desperately for relatives. 

“You can’t come through here,” a young nurse told Victoria sternly as she made to follow Robert through a pair of double doors. “He needs immediate surgery. He could have internal injuries.” 

“But he’s my brother-“ 

Adam held his wife back as Robert was wheeled out of sight.. 

The male paramedic who had travelled silently with them in the ambulance, checking Robert’s vitals and making sure he was receiving oxygen, gave them a weary smile. 

“Waiting room’s through here,” he said, gesturing down the hall. “They’ll tell you when there’s news.” 

“I need to ring Diane,” Victoria realised, numbly. “And Bernice. I… Andy should be here.” 

Adam had been about to console her when he heard a familiar voice arguing with a nearby nurse.

“That’s Finn!” Adam announced, sounding shocked.  

“Finn? But what’s he doing here…?” 

“You go sit down. I’ll be right there. Go on. I’ll get you a drink or summat.” 

Still feeling dazed, Victoria wandered off towards the waiting room. 

“I need to know how the surgery’s going!” came Finn’s familiar whine. “I’m his son! I have a right to be told!” 

Adam raced over, not sure how his day had managed to get worse than it already was. 

“Mate! Mate? What’s happened?” 

“Dad was in the crash,” Finn told him, tears in his eyes. “He’s in theatre. It’s not looking good.” 

Adam swallowed, trying to take that in. 

“You didn’t know?” Finn asked, frowning, and then taking in the fact that Adam was soaked from head to toe. “Then what are you doing here? Is Vic all right?” 

“Vic’s fine it’s… it’s Aaron. And Rob. Robert’s in surgery. Aaron’s still there. I couldn’t get him,” Adam found himself explaining, the words not coming out right.

“Couldn’t get him? What are you on about?” 

“The car… their car… it went off the road. Into the lake. I got Robert out. Aaron was stuck. Front of the car was wrecked. I… I tried to pull him out but…”

Finn pressed a horrified hand to his mouth and went utterly silent. 

“Divers are with him,” Adam continued. “They said… they should be with him. Should already be out. He’ll be here any time. Gotta wait for him. But he’ll be here. Can’t be long now.” 

The horror of what he’d witnessed was only just starting to dawn on Adam. It was rushing back now, making his head spin. He could lose his best friend and his father on the same day. Vic could lose her brother. It was a nightmare. Even losing Holly hadn’t prepared him for this. 

“I need to get back to my family,” Finn said, gesturing somewhere behind him. He was so distressed that he didn’t even seem to register what a low blow that statement had been. “I can’t… they need to tell me what’s happening…” 

“Listen, you’ll get me if there’s any news?” Adam managed to say. “I’m waiting with Vic.” 

“The surgery could take hours,” Finn replied, already moving away. “I’ll come and get you when he’s out. Good luck.” 

"Yeah, and you, mate," Adam said, trying not to think about how odd that goodbye was.

Adam watched him go and then walked on shaking legs to the waiting room.

+++

Victoria was sitting hunched up on a sofa. Adam went and sat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. The waiting room was dull hospital blue, void of any hope or colour. It couldn’t help but make a person more depressed than they were already. 

“You’re soaking,” Victoria commented, although she didn’t pull away. 

“Sorry, babe,” Adam muttered, still reeling. 

“Where’s Finn?” 

Adam swallowed before forming the words. 

“He’s… Vic, James is here. They’ve brought James in. For surgery.” 

Victoria turned to him with horrified sympathy. 

“He was in the crash?” 

“Think so,” Adam shrugged. “Finn didn’t know anything. Just that he was in surgery. He said he’d tell me when there was news.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Victoria whispered, hugging Adam tight. 

“He’ll be all right,” Adam insisted. “And Aaron’ll be here any time. You've not heard anything?” 

“No,” Victoria said quietly. “Not yet.” 

They both fell silent. Aaron should have turned up by now. Unless his ambulance had taken a short cut and got to the hospital before they had, he ought to have arrived. 

“Rob’s a fighter,” Adam told Victoria, so he wouldn’t have to think about his best mate. He put his hand over Victoria’s. “Most stubborn bloke I know. He’ll be okay.” 

“You didn’t see him,” Victoria muttered, shaking her head. “On the bank… he spat out the water. I managed to get him to cough it up, but he wasn’t with it… I don’t know if he even recognised me…” 

Adam had nothing to say to that. He could only hug Victoria tighter. 

“What was it like down there?” Victoria asked quietly. “Was it really bad?”

“Dark, mostly.” 

“Did they look okay?” 

Adam didn't know how to respond to that. They’d looked like a pair of bodies, pale and still. 

“Rob looked better,” he admitted. “He was out of it before I got there, but he looked all right. Think his side of the car stayed intact.” 

Victoria didn’t think Robert had looked all right at all. The only time she’d seen him look worse was after he’d been shot. If Robert was apparently the better off of the two, then she couldn’t bear to think how Aaron had looked.

“Was he… was it bad? Aaron, I mean. You said he was stuck…”

“Just his legs,” Adam reassured her, trying not to let her know just how bad it was. Not wanting to mention the blood, or the strange, distant expression on his features, like he was already gone. “Steering column had folded in.” 

“Oh my god…” 

“He still looked like Aaron,” Adam said. “He was trapped but…” 

Adam couldn’t find it in himself to continue that sentence. 

Victoria thought on that for a while. 

“Robert wasn’t trapped, though?” she confirmed, slowly.

“Didn’t look like it.”

“So what was wrong with him? Why didn’t he just swim up? D’you think he was badly injured?” 

“I dunno,” Adam admitted, rubbing his face. “Guess they’ll find out. It didn’t look like it, though, Vic…” 

It took a moment for that to sink in. When it finally did, Victoria’s eyes welled up. 

“You think he was still trying to get Aaron out? That he stayed…” 

Adam swallowed and then nodded. 

“And when he couldn't…” Victoria continued, horrified. 

“He wasn’t trapped. He wasn’t even wearing his seatbelt. Vic, I think… I think he knew Aaron wasn’t gonna make it…” 

“Don’t!” Victoria begged, starting to sob. 

Adam pulled away from her, unable to take the emotions. He wanted to pace around. He wished his mum was there. Or Holly. 

He'd just admitted it, hadn't he? He'd said it out loud. The truth. That he didn't think Aaron was going to make it. Now it was out there, spoken, there was no way of taking it back. Aaron was probably dead. He'd probably died in that wreck.

“Look, maybe it’s best this way?” Adam finally announced. 

Victoria turned to her husband, staring at him as though he’d gone mad. 

“This way Aaron’s not alone. They’re still together-“ Adam tried to explain. 

“Don’t you _dare_!” Victoria hissed, looking furious, her hands shaking. “You’re wishing them dead!” 

“I’m not wishing anything,” Adam replied, tears in his own eyes. “But we both know Aaron should be here by now.” 

“I can’t lose him,” Victoria whimpered. “Rob’s gonna make it. He _has_ to. I can’t, lose him, Adam. I need him. He’s my brother. He’ll be okay. Tell me he’ll be okay.” 

“You know I can’t do that, babe. And if he wakes up now…I don't know how he's gonna...” 

“They’ll have got to Aaron by now,” Victoria insisted, interrupting with her usual determined optimism. “It could have been just after we left. They could have taken him to a different hospital.” 

“He’d been under there for minutes. His legs, Vic…” 

“So had Robert! But he’s still here. He’s still fighting!” 

“It would have taken more time to cut him free. Vic… he was bleeding. From when the car crashed…” 

“How am I going to tell him?” Vic asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. "How can I tell Robert that...that... how am I gonna do it?" 

 _You probably won’t have to,_ Adam thought to himself grimly. 

“He loved him so much," Victoria said.  

“I know.” 

“He was gonna be happy. He was, Adam.” 

“I know he was.” 

“It isn’t fair. He was gonna marry him.” 

“I know," Adam repeated, before realising what his wife had just said. "Wait. What?” 

Victoria put her head in her hands. 

“He had a ring and everything. He was gonna ask him today.” 

The memory of opening the glove compartment on Robert’s side and seeing that black box float down into the depths suddenly made hideous sense.

Adam couldn’t bear it. He got up kicked at the arm of a nearby chair. It wasn’t right. Not after all Aaron had been through. It was some sick joke. 

+++

_“Where is he? Flamin’ get out of my way!”_

They heard Chas’s voice and the sound of her heels clicking down the corridor before they saw her. 

Victoria and Adam jumped respectfully to their feet as Chas and Liv stormed into the room. Chas looked like she was ready to thump someone, and Liv’s eyes were already red and puffy like she’d been crying on the way there. 

“How is he?” Chas asked them. 

Adam and Victoria exchanged a look. 

“Er, he’s not here yet,” Adam explained, not able to look Chas or Liv in the eyes. “At least, we’ve not seen him.” 

“Robert’s in surgery,” Victoria added. “Paramedic said something about taking in too much water. Maybe internal injuries. They don’t know.” 

Liv visibly recoiled at the news. She turned to Chas, who was stony, eyes narrowed. 

“That’s not good enough,” she announced, turning on her heel. 

“Chas, they can’t tell us any more…” Victoria tried. 

“Oh, yes they will,” Chas declared menacingly. “I’m his mother. I want to know where my son is.” 

Chas disappeared, leaving Liv standing uncertainly at the door. Liv had always looked younger than her fourteen years, but now she looked like some lost kid, standing there in her green bomber jacket, trying her best to seem tough. 

“Come here, Liv,” Victoria said kindly, patting the space next to her on the sofa. 

All three of them sat down, trying to remain calm, to act like this was normal. 

“They were in the lake, right?” Liv asked, looking between Adam and Victoria. “The car crashed in the lake. That’s what they’re saying.” 

“Yeah,” Adam agreed.

“They got Robert out, though?” 

“Adam did,” Victoria agreed, nodding proudly at her husband. 

Liv blinked, confused by that information.

“So how come Aaron’s was still down there?” she asked, not quite able to keep the accusatory tone from her voice. 

“Liv, I couldn’t… he was… “ 

“Was he dead?” Liv asked, bluntly. 

“No!” Victoria said. “He was just stuck. The divers went to get him, though. They're experts at this. They'll be doing all they can.” 

Liv took a deep breath and began to rub her hands together, hunched over, like a miniature Aaron. 

“And Robert?” she asked. 

“I don’t know,” Victoria admitted. “We went with him in the ambulance.” 

“So Aaron should be here any second, right?” 

Adam and Victoria exchanged another look. 

“I mean, how hard can it be? With all the stuff they have now. They’ve just got to lift the car up, right? And it’s not like the lake’s exactly deep. Stuff’s lighter underwater.” 

Nobody answered her. 

“And if Robert was gonna die he would have by now, right? Cause that’s how it works,” Liv continued. 

Victoria pressed her hands to her mouth at the words. 

“He’s hanging in there for now,” Adam explained, not able to give her any more comfort or hope than that. 

“If he was dead,” Liv consoled herself. “They would have told us.”

+++

“They said he might have been taken to another hospital,” Chas explained when she'd returned, after having had a heated argument with a young (and terrified) F1 at the main desk. “That can happen when there’s an emergency. The amount of people caught up in the crash…” 

“That’s where he’ll be then,” Liv agreed, nodding.

They all lapsed into pensive silence, until two figures appeared at the waiting room door.

“Aaron Dingle’s family?” asked a policemen, who looked grave.

Adam, Victoria, Chas, and Liv all shot to their feet. 

“Where is he?” Chas demanded. “Where’s my son? You know where he is?” 

The policeman took a deep breath and the woman standing beside him gave a horrible, strained grimace that might have been meant as a smile. 

“I’m afraid Aaron Dingle was announced dead at the scene after the divers cut him from the vehicle.” 

“No,” Chas breathed out, before terribly, shrieking, “NO!” 

“But you were getting him out!” Liv said, shaking her head, clearly in denial. “You said they were cutting him out! He wasn’t under for long! Tell them, Adam! Tell them you saw him!” 

“I’m sorry,” the policeman said, looking genuinely saddened. 

“Not Aaron,” Adam said, breaking down at last. “You’ve got this wrong, mate. It can’t be… not him. Not after everything...” 

Chas was still hysterical on the ground. Nobody seemed prepared to touch her, to interrupt her dreadful grief. 

“You’re wrong!” Liv shouted, stamping her foot.

“I know this has come has a terrible shock to you all,” said the woman standing behind the policeman. “The death of a loved one is something nobody wants to experience-” 

“I wanna see him,” Liv demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and glowering at the woman as though it might help. “I don’t believe ya.” 

“Liv,” Victoria said softly, tears pouring down her face. “Why would they lie?” 

“He can’t die like this!” Liv yelled. “It’s not right! It’s not fair! I. Don’t. Believe. Ya!” 

“My son…” Chas whimpered from the floor. “My boy…” 

“Please, if you could all just sit down,” the woman said kindly. “We have systems in place to help you-“ 

“Nah, I’m not listening to this,” Liv spat. “You’re all liars!” 

With that she sprinted for the door, dodging the police officer and disappearing down the corridor. 

Nobody followed her. That was supposed to be Aaron’s job. 

+++

When Robert finally came round, hours later, only Victoria remained at his bedside. Adam had gone to be with his mother in their grief for James, who looked unlikely to make it through the night. Liv was still unaccounted for (although most of the Dingle clan were apparently out looking for her.) Chas hadn’t said a word after she’d stopped crying, just stared out ahead of her, not seeing anything. The hospital bereavement counsellor was still with her now, and Cain had showed up for support.

It wasn't right, Vic thought, seeing Rob in that awful hospital gown. He looked too vulnerable, too soft. Robert was supposed to be smart and smug and never  _ever_ ordinary. Now he looked like every other patient. He looked awful. 

Robert’s finger twitched so slightly that Victoria had almost missed the movement. But then he was reaching up for his oxygen mask, pulling it away from his face. His eyes were dazed from the morphine, and there were cuts and bruises on his face that Victoria hadn’t noticed before, but she’d never been so happy to see Robert in her life. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to cry with relief, only she couldn’t, because Aaron was dead. 

“Robert?” Victoria said tentatively, as Robert registered her presence with half-closed eyes. “You scared the life out of me.” 

He tried to smile, weakly. It ended up as more of a twitch. 

“You’re okay now, though, and that’s what matters,” Vic said firmly, taking her brother’s hand. “Barely a scratch on you, eh?” 

Robert swallowed, the gesture looking like it took a worrying amount of effort. 

“What happened?” Robert asked, his voice a whisper. 

Victoria did her best to disguise her horror at the question. She gave her brother a bright smile and tried to distract him. 

“All that matters now is that you’re safe.” 

“What happened?” Robert repeated stubbornly. 

Victoria took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy.

“You were in a crash, Robert. Do you remember?” 

Robert frowned. He blinked slowly a few times, trying to work it all out in his head. 

“We were in the car,” Robert remembered, pausing to wet his lips. “Having a row. Then…”

The moment Vic had been trying to steer him away from had arrived already, and there was no stopping it. Victoria saw the dawning realisation in Robert’s eyes as he remembered the crash. 

“V… Vic?” 

“It’s okay, don’t try and talk,” Vic said soothingly. “You just rest. We can talk later.” 

“A…where’s Aaron?”

“Later,” Vic said, forcing a smile and patting Robert’s hand. “Everything’ll be okay. I’m here now. To look after yer. I know I might be your little sis, but this time it’s my turn to look out for you.” 

Robert didn’t seem to care about any of that. His forehead crumpled as he frowned. His eyes had a wet, panicked look to them, like he couldn’t believe what he was waking up to. 

“Is he dead?” Robert asked, simply. 

Victoria didn’t know what to say. She’d been told my the doctor not to upset him in any way, but how could she not? He’d just lost the love of his life in a stupid, pointless car crash.

“It’s all going to be fine,” she insisted robustly. “Diane’s on the way. And Bernice. Everyone? Okay? Because we all love yer and we’re gonna look after yer and-“ 

It was no use going on, because Robert was silently crying, too weak to make a sound, just shaking with sobs, tears streaming down his pale face. 

“Oh Robert,” Victoria breathed, taking his hand. “It’s okay. It’s all gonna be-“ 

This silent grief was somehow worse than Chas’s terrible screaming earlier. Robert couldn’t even look at her. His head had turned away so he didn’t have to meet her eyes. 

“It’s all gonna be okay,” Victoria tried again, tears now streaming down her own face. “Me and Adam are gonna look after you. And I know you loved him, and I know he loved you, but you’ll get through this.” 

Robert didn’t reply but his chest was heaving with despair. 

“Robert, look at me,” Victoria pleaded. “We can get through this. I promise we can.” 

“I wasted all that time,” Robert managed to say, his voice breaking. “And now I’ve lost him…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Victoria soothed him, stroking her brother’s hair. “Shh. It’s okay, Robert. You can let it out if you want. I’m here. I’m right here. Okay? I’ve got yer.” 

“I’ve lost him,” Robert repeated, his face screwed up with grief.

And then the terrible flat beeping of some hospital machine went off beside them, like they were in an episode of Casualty. Hearing it in real life was so much scarier.

“Robert?” 

Robert’s head lolled to one side and was still. 

“Robert? Robert!”

Victoria dropped his unresponsive hand like it was something foul. She would never forgive herself for doing that.

“Someone help!” she screamed. “Please! Please help us! It's my brother! I think he's dying!"

+++

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hi on twitter if you like! I'm @ClaudiaBoleyn. Also my Tumblr is claudiaboleyn.com 
> 
> xxx


	5. Pillow Talk (Robron go to a department store to buy pillows!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron's not been out of prison for long and Robert is making the most of having him back. Being dragged around a department store looking for homeware is Aaron's idea of hell, but he's doing his best to be a good husband and put up with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically I took the prompt incredibly literally and hopefully this is nice and domestic as well. I love writing dialogue for the boys!
> 
> Please comment if you read this!
> 
> xxx

It was a Thursday afternoon and Robert had dragged Aaron to a massive department store in York in order to look for homeware. Robert seemed to regard this expedition as something of a treat. He’d been especially chatty in the car on the way down to the shopping complex, full of ideas for making their new home perfect, only pausing in his excited conversation to give directions, a terrible habit which he couldn’t seem to rein in even though Aaron knew how to drive to flamin’ York. (God, they were _so_ married.)

Not wanting to be a total grump, Aaron had promised himself he’d try to act like he was at least a _bit_ interested in the interior decor of Mill Cottage, instead of being happy with just about anything so long as it meant they could move in already and start the next stage of their life together. 

Still, as his husband made them look in just about every top market homeware and electrical store in the complex, trying not to look bored out of his mind was becoming a real struggle. After all, there were only so many variations on an interested humming noise you could come out with before you lost the will to live.

Eventually they’d ended up in House of Fraser, a store Robert seemed to regard as a mark of class and quality. Aaron was currently regarding it as his own seemingly never-ending personal hell. If he had to see one more light fitting in his lifetime, Aaron was sure he was going to scream. 

After a twenty minute gander through the men’s clothing section (how many posh shirts did Robert need?), and an even longer stretch passing through the watches and gadgets (clearly Robert thought he was James Bond because he seemed to feel the need to examine them all), they finally ended up in the homeware department. 

“Okay, so next on the list,” Robert declared (and yes, he did _actually_ have a list on his phone which he was ticking off bit by bit). “Bedroom.” 

“Just a bed then?” Aaron prompted hopefully. “Cause I was thinking after that we could get something to eat.” 

“There’s a _really_ nice sushi place here,” Robert told Aaron, before registering his husband’s look of mild horror. “Or there’s TGI’s. I love all that old Hollywood stuff. And they do good burgers.” 

“You had me at burgers,” Aaron said, feeling rather more cheerful about his day. 

“Right. So. Pillows. Duvet. Mattress. Mattress protector. Headboard and bedstead. Pillowcases and matching duvet covers. We’ll need a few of those.” 

Aaron fought back his look of dismay at how long that list might take to acquire. His husband liked things to be done properly, and he was going to have to live with that. 

“Okay, erm… what are we starting with?” 

“Pillows,” Robert declared. “This way. Come on.” 

Aaron had never actually had to buy a pillow before. They were something he always took for granted. It hadn’t occurred to him that in department stores like this there would be rows and rows of what looked like the same white pillow, and that people would actually spend time picking one out. A pillow was a pillow, surely?

He looked at Robert, wondering if he was having the same thought, but unfortunately, Robert had narrowed his eyes, in business mode. Clearly he was taking this pillow-choosing business very seriously indeed. 

“A lot of people skimp on pillows,” Robert told him knowledgeably, with the slightly-nasty air of someone who enjoyed the idea of other people missing a trick. It was the middle-child in him, Aaron thought affectionately. “But they’re vital. They make all the difference.” 

Aaron gave a nod, pretending to be considering a couple of pillows nearest to him. 

“So, what are your thoughts?” Robert asked him. 

 _Fuck_ , Aaron thought. He was going to have to blag this, wasn’t he?

“Erm, well, we want quality,” Aaron remarked, reaching out to poke at the pillow closest to him. “A good amount of… squish?” 

Robert rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh. 

“I _knew_ you wouldn’t take this seriously,” he complained. “You’ve not been paying attention all day. I can’t believe this. Am I married to myself? Cause it feels like it.” 

Aaron shifted from foot to foot a little guiltily. He thought he’d been more subtle than that. 

“Sorry,” Aaron said sheepishly. “But you know what I’m like. This is all a bit…” 

“I’ve been looking forward to this for ages,” Robert explained, looking genuinely hurt. “While you were inside I was trying to do it up on my own, picking everything out, making it nice for when you came back. D’you know how many times I’ve done this sort of thing on my own? And it's not easy, Aaron! All I wanted was to look for homeware for _our_ new home, with my _husband._ Like a normal couple.” 

“Robert-“ 

“And all you can think about is filling your belly!” Robert continued. “I can’t believe this…” 

“Yeah, but, _pillows,_ ” Aaron said in his own defence, nodding at the selection. “You can buy one of them online with no bother. And they wouldn’t cost half as much as this lot.” 

Clearly that had been the wrong thing to say because Robert looked mortally offended once again. 

“This is important, Aaron! Look, you pay for quality, you save money in the long term. It’s an _investment.”_

Aaron still didn’t look convinced. 

 _“_ Besides,” Robert added, more quietly. “I’m hoping we're going to be spending a _lot_ more time in bed once we have our own place finished. Trust me, you’ll be thanking me in a few months.” 

Aaron had to agree that the concept of more time in bed with his husband, away from the interruptions of his family and a pub full of people, was a good one. If Robert having a more expensive pillow meant more sex then so be it. 

“Okay, I get it,” Aaron conceded. “Go on then. How’d we pick one of these bad boys?” 

Robert frowned at the pillows thoughtfully. 

“D’you like firm, soft, or medium?” he asked Aaron earnestly. 

Aaron couldn’t hold back his immature burst of laughter.

“Aaron!” Robert reproached him, hands on his hips. “This is serious. I thought you were trying? Can you not be a kid for ten minutes?” 

“Oh, sorry, cause your husband asking you if you like it firm or soft isn’t funny at all?” 

“I know how you like it,” Robert responded lowly, the smallest smile creeping onto his lips before he grew businesslike again. “Now come on. It says here you want firm if you sleep on your side, medium for on your back, and soft for on your front.” 

“I dunno, do I?” Aaron said, putting out his hands helplessly. “Didn’t even know you had a choice when it came to pillows. You pick. I'm fine with whatever.” 

“In that case I’m going for medium.” 

“Okay. Fine.” 

“Right, fillings. Obviously we want luxury.” 

“Obviously,” Aaron repeated, but Robert entirely missed the sarcasm there. 

“How d’you feel about memory foam?” 

“That’s the one where you sink in it, yeah?” Aaron remembered, from previous conversations about mattresses. 

Robert nodded. 

“Can’t we have something a bit more… solid?” 

“Goose feather and down?” Robert suggested. 

“Erm…” 

“This one has seventy percent goose feather, and thirty percent goose down.” 

“What’s that one?” Aaron asked, pointing at the next one along. 

Robert wrinkled up his nose snobbishly. 

“Microfibre. No way. You can get them in the supermarket for about a fiver. How do you feel about duck down?” 

Aaron only just resisted the urge to actually duck for a laugh. He sensed Robert was far too stressed out to appreciate the joke and he knew better than to push him when he was in one of these moods. Robert would only sulk with him on the drive home to the village.

“I don’t mind,” Aaron said. 

“How about this? Temperature regulating pillow. I’ve not seen one of those before…” 

“Yeah, and you’re not likely to,” Aaron put in, reading the price tag. “We’re not paying three hundred quid for a flamin’ pillow.”  

“Right, well in that case, we’re having medium firmness with goose down,” Robert announced, making a note on his phone. “Grab us a couple, then.” 

“So, are we done?” Aaron asked, trying not to sound too hopeful, arms now full of pillows. Of _course_ he was the one who had to lug this stuff around. Robert seemed to think he was incapable of heavy lifting. Honestly, he was a proper prima donna when he wanted to be.

“ _Are we done_?” Robert repeated incredulously. “Do you have any idea how much work it takes to fit out a house?” 

 “Sorry, sorry,” Aaron conceded, smiling at Robert in that irresistibly almost-cute way that was guaranteed to make Robert melt. “Obviously I appreciate it.” 

“Good.” 

“But I’ve never done this before. I’m a Dingle, remember? I mean, all this posh stuff. I don’t know where to start. I feel like a right idiot in here. I swear people are looking at me funny.” 

“Aaron, this is House of Fraser, not Harrods,” Robert pointed out. 

At that moment a young woman in a posh blazer and black skirt came round the corner with a smile on her face. Aaron instinctively took a step away from Robert, a lingering habit from his time inside. 

“Hello there, is there anything I can help you with today?” the young woman asked cheerfully. 

“No, you’re all right-“ Aaron began, but Robert ignored him. 

“Yes, actually. Me and my husband here have just got a new place. What would you advise in terms of mattresses? Is the king size worth it would you say?” 

“Congratulations,” the woman said, smiling. Aaron cleared his throat and nodded his thanks. After prison, it was a bit of a shock to the system every time he remembered that most people on the outside weren’t violent bigots. He’d got so used to hiding things that it almost felt like the time after he’d first come out all over again. Hearing Robert announce him as his husband so casually, so _proudly,_ was a bit overwhelming. 

“Well, I’d say since you’re so tall the king would probably suit you better,” she continued, gesturing at Robert. “There is the extra cost involved but you’ve got that much more space.” 

“And would you say this mattress is value for money?” Robert asked, showing the young woman a page on his phone. “We’re happy to pay the extra, but obviously we want quality for that amount.” 

“Of course,” she agreed. “It’s definitely one of our best. There’s also the memory foam, which is quite popular-“ 

Aaron grimaced at Robert. 

“Husband’s not a fan,” Robert said with a smile. “Well, we’ll go for your option then. Do you deliver?” 

“Yes, and with that price you’d qualify for free delivery,” the woman said. “At a time of your choosing, of course.”

“Excellent,” Robert declared. “Thanks for your help.” 

“Was there anything else or are you still browsing?” 

“I think we’ll browse,” Robert answered.

The woman smiled at Robert and Aaron warmly before going to help another customer. 

“Well, she was chirpy,” Robert said quietly to Aaron, after she’d gone. "Course she's got an agenda." 

Aaron frowned, not understanding. He was paranoid enough as it was at the moment without Robert fuelling the fire. Had Robert noticed some sign of homophobia in the shop assistant? Had she given them a funny look? Was she about to tell another associate about the married gay guys in the homeware department? 

“You what?” 

“Obviously I know which ones are value for money," Robert muttered. "I just wanted to check they weren’t trying to do us out of any cash. Trying to get us interested in the memory foam? Pfft. That's ridiculously overpriced. You could cut a third off that to match the ones in John Lewis.” 

 _Typical fucking Robert_ , Aaron thought. For someone with pockets as deep as his, Robert was stingy as hell. Relief flooded Aaron's body at it not being the homophobia he'd feared.  _Calm down,_ he told himself firmly.  _You're on the outside now. You're safe._

“For god’s sake-“ he breathed out. 

“You can’t be too careful,” Robert said knowledgeably, apparently not noticing Aaron's near panic attack. “Right, we're gonna need a trolley for the rest of the stuff. We can take the pillows and the duvets back with us today. How do you feel about lamps?” 

"Can't say I've got much of an opinion on them," Aaron admitted. "They're handy when it's dark and you need the bog?"

"Ha. Funny. Seriously, though." 

“Used to have a lava lamp when I was a kid,” Aaron remembered, not quite sure why the memory suddenly sprang to mind. Sandra had bought it for him to help him sleep. Aaron remembered watching that lava lamp, at ten years old, and letting the gentle motion lull him to sleep, even though everything was so very, very wrong. “Red. It was great. Had it on my bedside table.” 

“Seriously? I had one of them as well,” Robert said, grinning, his own memory clearly less tinged with sadness. “Mine was blue, though. I loved that lamp. It was like looking at aliens or something. Reminded me of space. Like something out of Star Trek.” 

“Yeah, and they’re relaxing,” Aaron added. “You could watch one of them for hours. Forget all your troubles.” 

“D’you think they still do them?” Robert asked, an excited gleam in his eyes.

“What? Lava lamps? They must do.” 

“We’re getting lava lamps,” Robert declared, writing himself a note on his phone. 

“One for each side of the bed?” 

“Why not?” 

Aaron smiled, liking that idea a lot. It sounded much better than some boring, posh bedside lamp. 

Robert typed away on his phone, frowning with concentration. 

“You can get really nice ones,” Robert informed him. “The most expensive one ever sold was fifteen thousand dollars.” 

“Don’t think our budget can stretch to that.” 

“It was tacky anyway. But some of these look like modern art pieces. These are way better than the ones when I was a kid. Take a look at this bad boy.” 

Robert handed his phone to Aaron. On the screen was a very sci-fi looking lava lamp with a silver base. Inside were vibrant blue and green bubbles. The shades reminded Aaron of Robert’s eyes. Of course he took to it immediately. 

“What d’you think?” Robert asked, sounding thrilled with himself. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I like it. Should go with the colour scheme as well. Grey isn’t gonna clash, is it?” 

“They won't clash. I’m gonna order them online tonight,” Robert declared excitedly. “Oh, just wait until Vic sees them. She was always pestering me about having her own lava lamp.” 

Robert paused, looking up.

“Should we get one for Liv?” 

“As if,” Aaron said, grinning. “She’d call it tat.” 

“It’s not tat if it’s nostalgia,” Robert declared, as though it was a motto he often referred to. 

“And it’s _definitely_ not tat at those prices,” Aaron agreed. 

“Yeah, well, I said I wanted modern, didn’t I?” 

“You wanted us to live on the Millennium Falcon,” Aaron joked, fondly. “Thought I’d come back and it’d be all futuristic and creepy.” 

Robert raised his eyebrows. 

“I _think_ you mean the USS Enterprise, and I wanted minimalist.”

“If you want minimalist you can get rid of some of your DVDs.” 

“They’re collectables!” Robert insisted, sounding hurt. 

“I’m only messing,” Aaron laughed, and even though it was hard for him, now, after everything he’d been through in the past few months, he glanced around them both to make sure they weren't being observed, moved closer and pecked Robert on the cheek. 

Robert smiled at the fact Aaron had been the one to initiate contact in public. He was getting better, slowly. It would take time, but one day he’d be the same Aaron he was before prison. Healed. Out and proud as he ever was. Without any fear.

+++

When they left, after a burger each at TGI Friday’s (which Aaron managed to demolish in about two minutes, much to Robert’s awe), Robert didn’t dare to reach out and take Aaron’s hand. He knew it would only make his husband flinch, waiting for what he believed to be the inevitable consequences of being openly gay in public. Aaron was highly strung and wary, ready for a sudden smack to the back of the head, or of being thrown to the ground, of having to defend himself at a moment's notice. But as they crossed the large car park full of shoppers, with Aaron steering the fully loaded trolley of appliances and homeware, Robert placed a gentle but subtle hand on Aaron’s lower back, guiding him to the car. 

Aaron turned to him and smiled. Honestly. Happily. 

“Looks like the burger did wonders for your mood,” Robert quipped. “You were a proper grump earlier.” 

“Shut up,” Aaron replied, grinning. “And are ya actually gonna help me shift this stuff into the boot or are ya gonna stand around shirking as per?” 

“I’ll walk the trolley back, how about that?” Robert offered. 

“Go on then. And I’m driving.” 

“In your dreams.” 

“Gimme the keys, hubby,” Aaron commanded absentmindedly, opening his palm for them expectantly. 

Hearing Aaron say the word ‘hubby’ in a public car park, forgetting himself for a moment like prison had never happened and broken him all over again, was enough to make Robert grin and hand them over. 

 


	6. Let's Get Sexy (aka Charity interrupts and Robert considers murder)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Aaron are enjoying some alone time in their bedroom at the pub, but then along comes Charity...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's set before the wedding and all the Kasim stuff. Probably around the time they've come back from Manchester. 
> 
> I'm trying to do something a bit different with each day and challenge myself, so this one's in present tense. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> xxx

It’s Wednesday morning and the upstairs floor of the Woolpack is unusually and blissfully devoid of Dingle family members. Liv and Noah are at school, Chas is downstairs setting up the pub for the day ahead, and Charity is supposedly helping Chas (although everyone knows Charity's version of 'helping' means getting out of the hard work and doing whatever she wants).

Aaron and Robert are in bed and making the most of it. After all, despite living together, it’s not like they get much proper ‘alone time’ considering they’re constantly running around after Liv, trying to keep Noah from nicking stuff from their room, and spending more time than is probably healthy with Aaron’s family. 

Robert is about to show his fiancé just how much he loves him (again), when there’s a knock at their bedroom door. 

They don’t hear it the first time. Vic has her radio on in the kitchen downstairs, and they’re more than a little bit busy, but then it happens again. 

Aaron is the first of the pair to give in to the distraction. Robert can tell by the way the grip of his fingertips on the skin of his back lessons. 

“Should get it,” Aaron murmurs. 

“Ignore it,” Robert commands, kissing his fiancé firmly in an attempt to stop any further argument. “It’s obvious we're in here. They’ll get the hint.” 

As good an idea as that is in theory, it doesn’t stop the knocking, and seconds later (after Robert has just about got them back to where they were), Aaron pulls away, much to Robert’s frustration.

Aaron gives Robert an apologetic look and a half shrug. Aaron, after all, is used to the chaos of his family. He’s still so relieved to have them that he doesn’t mind all this pandemonium as much as he probably should. Robert, on the other hand, who’s never taken well to being robbed of something he wants, shakes his head and huffs out a frustrated breath.

He’s not annoyed with Aaron, but the fact remains that no matter how carefully they plan their time together, someone (usually from Aaron’s family) is bound to pop up and get in the way. Robert wonders if the universe is trying to punish him for being a bad person before by dangling a gorgeous fiancé right in front of him day after day and then denying him any actual gratification. 

_No_ , Robert thinks, as he looks at the way Aaron’s flattening his own curling hair self-consciously, his blue eyes warily watching the door. _Even God wouldn’t be that cruel._

“What?” Aaron calls out, trying to make his voice sound less breathless than he feels. 

“And don’t come in!” Robert yells out right after, taking no such care to disguise his tone. He doesn’t care if the person at the door knows that a) he’s irritated as hell, and b) he was just about to have (some probably very good) sex.

“You do know we’ve got a pub full of people down there?” comes the voice of Charity Dingle. 

Of course it’s Charity. _Of fucking course_. That woman was clearly sent to this earth to torment him. 

Aaron looks at Robert with concern. He’s clearly embarrassed about the implication that they’ve been too loud. Robert doesn’t really understand how shy Aaron is about this sort of thing, considering everyone knows that they’re engaged, but it’s incredibly attractive all the same. 

“There is _no way_ anyone could have heard us,” Robert tells him sensibly. “Just ignore her.” 

“Oi, lovebirds!” Charity shouts, banging on the door again. “Don’t you know it’s rude not to answer someone when they ask a question? Honestly…” 

“One day, I swear to god-“ Robert mumbles furiously as it becomes clear that Charity isn’t going to leave them any time soon. 

A _normal_ person would have taken the hint. But unfortunately, Charity is anything but normal. 

“What d’ya want?” Aaron calls out. 

“Sorry,” Charity says, not sounding sorry _at all._ “But if you boys are gonna be going at it during business hours then could you try to keep it down a bit?” 

Aaron looks utterly mortified now Charity’s made her meaning explicitly clear. Still, Robert isn’t buying it. Unless someone was listening with the specific intention of catching them in the act, there was no way what little amount of noise they were making would carry even to the next room, let alone downstairs with all the usual morning chaos.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be earwigging?” Robert suggests, without even the slightest hint of embarrassment in his voice. “Got your pint glass out, have yer?” 

“Ha ha, dream on,” Charity retorts. “By the way, Aaron, you’ve not seen my phone charger, have you?” 

Robert looks (and feels) like he’s on the brink of a violent murder as he realises what this is _really_ about.

“You interrupted us _for a phone charger_?!” Robert yells, finally sitting up in bed and kicking the covers off him. He reaches for his boxers (discarded on the floor from last night) and yanks them on, followed by his dressing gown. 

“Robert!” Aaron hisses, but it’s too late. Robert’s marched over to the door and opened it. Aaron sinks down in bed and closes his eyes. His family all seem to know _exactly_ how to push Robert’s buttons. 

“Nice for some,” Charity comments, looking Robert up and down, taking in his bare feet, mussed hair and hastily tied dressing gown. “Do you ever do any work now or do you just lead my nephew astray?” 

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, and he’s not your nephew,” Robert answers stonily. 

“He’s as good as,” Charity shrugs. 

She looks nosily around Robert and spots Aaron, covered in the duvet, looking really rather adorable at this time in the morning, clearly mortified by the interruption. 

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she tells him cheerfully. “We’ve all been caught in a moment of passion. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” 

_And don’t we know it,_ Robert thinks bitterly, remembering the last time Charity had caught them having a snog by the stairs when she was supposed to be at Lisa’s, or the time before that when she’d walked in on them in the shower and entirely ruined the moment. 

“He doesn’t have your charger, and we’re _busy_ ,” Robert tells Charity firmly, slamming the door in her face. 

It takes all Robert’s self control not to add: _and if you interrupt us again a lost charger’ll be the least of your worries._ He’s a changed man now, after all. 

“Honestly, the way I’m treated in this pub-“ they both hear Charity remark loudly from outside before heading back down the stairs. 

Robert takes a moment at the door to compose himself, taking a couple of deep breaths, and then walks back to the bed where Aaron shifts over for him. 

“There’s always something with her,” Robert remarks, frowning.

“Yeah, well, that’s Charity for ya.” 

“I swear she gets a kick out of making me miserable. It’s a targeted campaign.” 

Aaron laughs at that and rubs his eyes. 

“So… where were we?” Robert asks lowly, untying his dressing gown and leaning in for a kiss. But Aaron pulls away. 

“What?” Robert asks. 

“I’m just… not in the mood now,” Aaron admits. “Kind of kills it, dunnit?” 

“Typical,” Robert huffs, flopping down on his back next to Aaron. “This has got to stop. I mean it, Aaron. It’s driving me insane. They’re everywhere. It’s never-ending.” 

Aaron nestles against Robert’s side in agreement. 

“We might as well live in a goldfish bowl," Robert continues. "Or better yet, sell tickets when we’ve got some time alone so the whole village can come along and have a good look. That’d pay for Mill and give us cash to spare.” 

“I know, but that’s family, innit?” 

“That’s _your_ family,” Robert corrects him, not meaning any offence. (Aaron doesn’t take any). “The complete lack of social skills…” 

“To be fair, it’s mostly Charity.” 

“This is the third time this week,” Robert points out. 

Aaron is actually quite pleased to know his finance’s been keeping count. 

“Well, we’re moving out in a bit, aren’t we?” he consoles Robert.

“Trust me, it can’t come too soon,” Robert declares dramatically. 

Aaron laughs again. It’s still surreal to him that Robert Sugden’s counting down the days until the pair of them can move into their new place together. He’d never even have dared to dream of anything like this a year or so ago. 

“I should get going on the pick up,” Aaron says after a few more moments of content silence. “Apparently there’s some car parts in Leeds going spare for anyone that wants ‘em.” 

“Stay,” Robert asks Aaron softly. “Just for a bit.” 

Time was, Aaron would have jumped at the chance, and it’s not that he’s any less eager to spend time with Robert, but now they have a lifetime ahead of them. He doesn’t have to take whatever he can get like a dog begging for scraps at a dinner table. He has the luxury of knowing his fiancé will still be here when he gets back. It’s comfortable, domestic, and weirdly grown-up. 

“It feels weird now,” Aaron explains, screwing up his nose. 

“You do realise she was lying about being able to hear us, don’t you? She’s devious. She wanted her phone charger and she didn’t care if she had to interrupt us to get it. In fact, interrupting us was probably part of the fun, because no one’s allowed to be happy when Charity’s not, eh?” 

“Yeah, well, I should’ve looked for her," Aaron says. "I did borrow it the other day.” 

A satisfied but not at all pleasant smile appears on Robert’s face. 

“I know exactly where her charger is,” Robert declares. 

“What?” Aaron asks, frowning. 

“Noah’s got it. I saw him squirrelling it away last night and stashing it in his schoolbag. That kid's light-fingered. But who can blame him with Charity as a mum?” 

“Why didn’t you say summat?” 

Robert fixes Aaron with a pointed look.

“Why do you think?” 

“Robert,” Aaron says disapprovingly, although he can’t fight the smile appearing on his lips. 

“I swear, the next time she’s got someone here, I’m gonna set off the fire alarm,” Robert tells Aaron. (Why is it his fiancé’s so attractive at his most vindictive? Aaron wonders). “And if we’re not living here by then (which we won’t be, because let’s be honest, how’s Charity gonna find a man that fast?), I’m still gonna find a way to get back here and make it happen.” 

Aaron laughs and gets out of bed. Robert watches him go, feeling sorry for himself. Aaron leaving bed is never a good thing. He watches as Aaron grabs a towel and some clothes. 

Robert sighs, now resigned to the fact that his perfect morning is ruined. 

“You’ll meet me at the pub for lunch?” he asks. 

“Course,” Aaron agrees. “And maybe we can pick this up later?” 

“Chance’d be a fine thing,” Robert declares dramatically, but he reaches for Aaron’s hand as he goes to pass him, and when Aaron pauses to see what he wants, that familiar, curious frown on his features, Robert lifts Aaron’s hand to his lips and kisses his knuckles gently. He watches the smile spread over Aaron’s face, how soft his eyes become. 

“Don’t go back to sleep,” Aaron warns him sternly. “I know what you’re like.”

“I won’t. I just want five minutes, then I’ll sort some more of the business plan. I’ve got some calls to make too.” 

“No rest for the wicked, then, eh?” Aaron says, with another smile.

“No something, that’s for sure,” Robert quips back. 

He rubs his thumb over the back of Aaron’s hand a few times before relinquishing his hold on it.

Aaron gives him one last smile, paired with a fond and disbelieving shake of his head which clearly means ‘what are you like?’, and heads off for a shower. 

Really though, Robert thinks as he stretches out in bed, listening to the bathroom door close and the shower start up, he's going to  _end_ Charity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you enjoyed this!
> 
> My twitter is @ClaudiaBoleyn and my Tumblr is claudiaboleyn.tumblr.com
> 
> xxx


	7. Jukebox (Night Terror - Laura Marling)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week since Gordon Livesy received his guilty verdict. Robert is staying over at the Woolpack and Aaron just can't seem to shake those night terrors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song this is based on is Night Terror by Laura Marling, which is one of my favourite songs ever. Seriously, check out Laura Marling if you get the chance. She's amazing.

**_INSPIRED BY LAURA MARLING'S NIGHT TERROR_ **

_++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++_

_I woke up and he was screaming, I'd left him dreaming_

_I roll over and shake him tightly and whisper:_

_"If they want you, oh, they're gonna have to fight me"_

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Robert wakes up, squinting in the darkness of Aaron’s bedroom, taking a moment to get his bearings. He reaches out to the bedside table where he placed his watch the previous night. It’s three in the morning.

It’s been one week since Gordon Livesy received his guilty verdict. It’s been one week since Aaron got justice. This is the third night Robert’s spent in Aaron’s bed in months, and the third time he’s been woken up by Aaron’s nightmares.

Starting to get used to this now, Robert turns onto his side and surveys Aaron as best he can in the darkness. His hands are gripping the sheets, knuckles white, almost fists. There’s a light sheen of sweat on his forehead and he’s grimacing, breaths coming that bit too heavily. Robert watches Aaron’s chest rise and fall too quickly, over and over. 

Aaron didn’t used to sleep like this. Robert remembers most of the nights they spent together, waking up to use the bathroom and seeing Aaron curled up contently, pleased to be with him for a whole night instead of having to sneak away, sometimes even with the smallest smile on his usually grim face. Robert remembers waking up sometimes to find Aaron in his arms, in a pose so loving, so domestic, so free of the addictive, electric lust that usually drew them together, that they never spoke about it in the morning.

It was something of a joke between them that Robert was the one who usually caused the disruptions with his habit of kicking in his sleep. Waking up in a hotel room (or even Chrissie's bed) and apologising for almost shoving Aaron out of the bed with his feet in the early hours was something which made them both laugh. Usually Aaron would respond with a raised eyebrow and say something like: “You wish, mate. Not kicking me out of bed that easily.” 

Now, though, everything is different. 

In some ways it’s good. Aaron’s less self-conscious for one thing. Although they’ve only been back together for a short while, they know each other well enough that they don’t have to do that early-relationship pretending. There’s no sucking in stomachs or trying to keep up a constant stream of sexy banter, diverting in a panic when they hit anything resembling emotion. 

This time round Robert is a different person. It’s a conscious choice, but he thinks that maybe it’s true as well. That maybe going through all this with Aaron, being forced to live with the truth of who he is with nobody there to shield him, has made him better. He _is_ better. He knows that much. He knows it because now, thoughts of some of the things he did and said before cause an uneasy twist in his stomach. When he remembers the way he treated Aaron he feels physically ill. People think he doesn't do remorse, but the truth is that Robert Sugden feels so guilty sometimes that pushing away his conscience is all he can do to keep himelf sane. It's a vicious cycle that only Aaron seems to truly understand. 

But he can’t take what he's done back. What he can do, however, is be there for Aaron now. He can be everything he wasn’t before, everything Aaron deserved and never got. He can be someone’s rock for a change, instead of just a charming, charismatic, but ultimately untrustworthy figure, out for his own self-interest. He wants to be the sort of bloke that can be relied on, like Andy (god help him). He wants to be there for someone, permanently, not because he has to be, but because it’s who he is. Because he’s ready for the hard stuff, for the times where it’s not all fun and quickies and excitement. He’s ready to wake up in the night with Aaron, to watch him through a nightmare, to put himself second. 

Oddly, what he has with Aaron feels closest to his relationship with Vic. It’s strange to think about, but it’s true. With Aaron it’s almost pure, which is the weirdest thing considering how messed up they both are and the trail of destruction and hurt they've left behind them. It comes naturally now. It’s not about what’s in it for him, but about wanting to protect. An almost instinctual desire rooted in nothing but love. It’s a need to know he’s okay, and wanting to be there with him if he’s not. It feels solid, somehow. Like it can’t be broken. It’s something Robert can cling to, something that can keep him above the waters. It's something that asks nothing of Aaron in return.

Beside him, Aaron gives an odd twitch. It could be funny in any other circumstances, but not like this. Robert doesn’t like not being able to see what Aaron is seeing, not being able to solve the problem for him. You can’t throw money at a nightmare. You can’t climb into the past and threaten the memories away. Gordon Livesy was there before him, and Gordon Livesy will haunt Aaron for years to come. There’s nothing Robert can do about it. When he met Aaron, even if he’d been looking closely enough to notice back then, he was already fourteen years too late.

“Aaron?” Robert asks gently, not sure if he has the right to wake him up. This is still a new arrangement, after all, being allowed to stay in Aaron’s bedroom overnight with the acceptance of Chas. This isn’t sneaking around. This is something far more grown-up, far more real. 

Aaron makes another noise. It’s the sort of noise an animal might make when it’s caught in a trap. Robert now knows he has to wake him, even if Aaron resents him for it, for acknowledging his moment of weakness instead of brushing it under the carpet, like he used to.

“Aaron?” he tries again, this time reaching out a hand to touch Aaron’s shoulder. 

It’s the wrong thing to do. Aaron gives a start and shouts out, eyes opening in a sudden movement, looking around for danger.

“It’s okay!” Robert whispers frantically, trying to calm him down. “Aaron, it’s me. You’re safe. It was a dream. Aaron?” 

Aaron frowns, the realisation dawning slowly on his features. Robert can see the gradual transition from frozen-to-the-spot terror, to recognition, to relief, and then to embarrassment. After all that comes the defensive sulking. Robert knows exactly how Aaron works and so he’s more than ready when Aaron manages to shoot him a glare with sleepy eyes. 

“Get off,” Aaron tells him, shrugging Robert’s hand away from his shoulder and turning away from him. 

“You shouted,” Robert explains. 

“Yeah, well, it was just a dream,” Aaron says, voice gruff. “Go back to sleep.” 

“Your mum’s gonna think I’m murdering you,” Robert tries, wondering if he can get through to Aaron with a bit of humour, so Aaron doesn’t have to feel embarrassed. “You’re gonna get me chucked out on my third stay.” 

Aaron seems to soften a little. He chews on his lip and then turns back to face Robert properly. He looks guilty now, as though he regrets snapping. 

“Did I wake you up?” 

“I was already awake,” Robert lies. “And I can’t hear them panicking out there looking for a murderer, so I _think_ you’ve got away with it.”

Aaron can see he’s lying, but he knows it’s to spare his own embarrassment, so he lets it go. He even forces a smile at Robert’s joke. Robert knows how to talk his way out of trouble, and even better than that, he knows how to talk other people out of hating themselves for a moment. Aaron wishes he could do that for himself. 

“It’s only the stress,” Robert says, looking up at the ceiling. “It can do funny things to people.” 

Aaron frowns. 

“What? Am I doing it a lot?” 

 _Every night_ , Robert thinks sadly. But Aaron doesn’t need to know that. He needs to feel free of his father. Robert’s not going to spoil that for him. 

“It’s fine,” Robert assures him. “I was the same after I got shot. Used to wake up in a cold sweat and just lie there for hours. Could never get back to sleep after that. Then Adam and Vic were up and getting ready for work, and you know how loud Adam is, so I never really got any rest.” 

“It’s just… the trial,” Aaron admits. 

“Yeah?” 

“It’s brought some stuff back. Stuff that before… well, I’d made myself forget about.” 

“Well, you had to,” Robert says reasonably. “Anyone would have tried to block it out.” 

“Yeah, but now it’s all back in my head again. And I am trying not to let it get to me. I know it’s stupid.” 

“It’s not.” 

“But it’s worse when I’m asleep. Cause I can’t control it then.” 

“It’ll get better with time,” Robert promises. “It’s all just fresh for you right now. But it’ll fade. And you’ve got justice. You’ve got so many people who love yer, who support yer. It’s over. He can’t hurt you anymore.” 

“He can, though, can’t he?” Aaron says, fiddling with his fingers, only just resisting the urge to scratch, to wound himself. “Cause I’m thinking about it, about _him_ right now. I still can’t get rid of him. Not properly.” 

Robert thinks about that, not for the first time. He’s already considered having Gordon Livesy dealt with, of course he has. What sort of boyfriend would he be if he hadn’t? But it’s not the Gordon Livesy of today who poses the real threat. It’s the Gordon Livesy of before and what he’s left Aaron with.

“Well, maybe you won’t,” Robert says honestly, surprising Aaron. “Sorry, but you might never get rid of him completely.” 

Aaron looks at him, nonplussed and slightly betrayed. 

“But it’s only a memory,” Robert continues. “You’ve got your whole life ahead of you to make new ones. He’ll fade. Give it time and I promise yer, it’ll get easier.” 

“How would you know?” Aaron demands. After all, Robert makes a lot of promises, and from past experience, Aaron knows they don’t always mean anything. 

“Because it has to,” Robert tells him softly. “And because you’re strong.” 

Aaron scoffs, but Robert doesn’t let him put himself down like that. Not anymore. 

“I mean it, Aaron,” he insists, his serious face on. “You just wait. And I’ll be right here with yer. One day he won’t matter. Not like he does now.” 

“He’ll be out one day,” Aaron counters, not sure why he feels he has to argue, only knowing that he can’t let Robert’s positive visions of the future go unchallenged. 

“One day,” Robert concedes. “But you’ll have a new life by then. He won’t be able to hurt you. And if he tries to come anywhere near you, well…” 

Robert trails off, leaving that to Aaron’s imagination. Aaron doesn’t have to ask any further questions to know what Robert means. Robert might be different now, but he’s still dangerous. 

It’s oddly comforting to know that he’s got all of Robert’s vengeance, all of his spite, on his side. It makes him feel protected, powerful.

“Sorry,” Aaron mumbles, eventually, sinking back against his pillow.

“Why?” 

“I invite you over and then I go and do this. It’s not exactly what you want out of staying the night, is it?” 

“Aaron, you’ve just gone through something massive,” Robert points out.

“Still…” 

Robert gives a sigh, one that’s half acted, and shakes his head at Aaron. He leans up on his elbow and looks Aaron in the eyes. 

“Look, I’m not here for the sex,” he says. 

Aaron raises an eyebrow. 

“Okay, not _only_ the sex,” Robert amends, grinning. “I’m here for you. Idiot.” 

Aaron can’t help but smile at the insult Robert was forced to chuck in there at the last minute so he didn’t sound too soft. 

“I’ve told you, I want this to be different now,” Robert says. “And I’m not trying to push you. I just… want you to know that I’m here. For you. And that nothing’s gonna change that.” 

Aaron takes that in, and then finally, gives a short nod of acceptance. Then a strange expression appears on his face. 

“So… what you’re saying is that you only stayed over cause you feel sorry for me?” he asks. 

“No!”

But Aaron is smiling again now. He was only messing about. It feels better than it probably should to have fooled Robert. It feels amazing to see that moment of worry flash in Robert’s tired eyes. 

“Soft lad,” Aaron declares, turning away from Robert and getting comfortable, apparently going back to sleep. 

Robert’s a bit disappointed to be honest, but he knows he doesn’t have a right to be. What matters is that Aaron’s okay. Consoling himself with that, he follows Aaron’s lead and settles down himself, watching Aaron’s back and the tiny movements he makes to find the perfect position for sleep. 

But then Aaron makes a grumbling noise and reaches back to find Robert’s arm. He drags it over so it’s resting across his hip, pulling Robert closer to him. 

Smiling, Robert obediently shifts over, so there’s no space between them. He nestles his nose against Aaron’s neck and hears Aaron sigh comfortably. 

“Soft lad,” Robert whispers, getting Aaron back for earlier. 

He hears Aaron scoff out a laugh and then slowly, drift off to sleep.

Robert doesn’t let himself succumb to sleep for another ten minutes, even though he's exhausted. He wants to make sure Aaron’s safe first.

He’s not letting Gordon Livesy get Aaron again. At least not tonight.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

_The dangers fade_

_And I'll run back and shake him tightly and scream:_

_"If they want him, oh, they're gonna have to fight me."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of Robron Week 2017! I've really enjoyed taking part! 
> 
> Please leave me a comment if you enjoyed this!
> 
> Also, if you have any prompts for me, then send 'em to my Tumblr! I'm at claudiaboleyn.tumblr.com
> 
> My twitter is @Claudia Boleyn
> 
> xxx


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